This invention relates to tools for cleaning conduits and more particularly for removing accumulations of foreign materials on the interior surfaces of smoke chambers and chimney flues of fireplaces and furnaces.
Most chimneys are lined with clay tile liners, commonly referred to as flues. The purpose of the flues is to reduce the amount of heat transfer from the gases passing through the chimney to adjacent structures of buildings. The products of combustion, such as soot, resin and creosote accumulate on the interior surfaces of fireplace smoke chambers and chimney flues. Heat causes these products to become glazed and hardened, making their removal difficult. If large amounts are allowed to build-up on surfaces, they can ignite and cause fires.
In the past, many chemical and mechanical products have been developed for cleaning smoke chambers and chimney flues. Some of these products have been power driven rotary devices which are thrown outwardly by great centrifugal force to scrape accumulated materials from smoke chambers and flues. Others have been power driven rotary wire brushes.
The power driven devices which exert high forces have been unsuccessful because of physical damage to clay tile flues. Power driven wire brushes alone have been incapable of removing the glazed and hardened materials. The most effective method has been to chemically treat the smoke chambers and flues and follow-up with power driven wire brushes. This method is time consuming and expensive.
A power driven rotary cleaning tool which could remove accumulations of foreign materials from fireplace smoke chambers and chimney flues without damaging the flues would reduce the time and cost over the current method.